Let's Work Together

Our division works with people from colleges and units across campus and each LSU
entity throughout Louisiana to create promotional and informational material for both
external and internal audiences. Our staff will work with you on strategy, planning,
concept development, writing, editing, proofreading, design, coordination of bidding,
coordination of photography, video services, media training, social media, etc. If
you have questions, please contact your marketing strategist who can direct you to
the right person and assist you in starting your project.

Frequently Asked Questions

Our design, writing, and production services are offered at no charge to the LSU community.
The only cost you will incur is the cost for production via the vendor who physically
prints, mails, or distributes your piece.

Our video and photography charges are a fraction of the cost that you will find at
private agencies and firms. Most of our costs consist of material expenses: hardware
and computer supplies, file output and storage software, equipment maintenance, and
any other expense items.

We're here to help you communicate your department's objectives in ways that are audience
appropriate and that meet the overarching goals of the university. However, our staffing
resources in relation to campus demand requires that we accept projects that align
most closely with the priorities listed below.

Recruiting

Retention

Research

Fundraising and philanthropy

Rest assured, if we can't accept your project by your deadline because of competing
priorities or a fully committed schedule, we will assist you in finding an alternative
way to produce your project.

Media Relations staff can assist you with finding information for a story, finding
a faculty member who can provide an expert opinion, arranging interviews with university
administrators and finding possible story ideas and photo opportunities. The staff
also sends out media advisories, press releases and news and feature articles to the
media on a daily basis. During a campus emergency or crisis, the Media Relations staff
will also be able to provide the media with updated information, official statements
and the name and contact information of any university spokespersons. Click here to contact your marketing strategist to start a conversation about any media inquiries
or requests you might have.

Proper planning is critical to making sure your projects are completed on time and
with proper strategy in place. You may be surprised by the time and details that go
into moving a project from concept to finished product. No matter how many times you
have been through the process from start to finish, most projects rarely meet the
same parameters or follow the same timelines.

We will be glad to work with you on writing your text, or we can take your completed
draft and edit it into appropriate style. We edit according to LSU Style and defer
to AP Style for all matters that LSU Style does not address. For more information
about LSU Style guidelines, visit our online editorial style guide:

Based on our experience with college/departmental approval processes and printer time,
the average minimum lengths of time needed to produce various kinds of projects from
the day we receive your approved text are listed below. Please note, this does not
include any of the pre-planning time you and your department or you and your marketing
strategist have put into the project before it is submitted for approval. For us,
"approved" means that whoever, in your area or department, makes the final judgment
has agreed that the text will not undergo significant subsequent changes. Substantial
copy changes made after production begins can considerably add to your cost and to
time needed for production and printing.

For a new or revised project, contact your Strategic Communications marketing strategist
to schedule a time to get together. (If you do not know who your marketing strategist
is, click here.) In this meeting you two will have the opportunity to discuss the goals, needs,
and scope of your project.

We may be able to give you a very rough estimate of timing to complete your project
during the initial meeting, but the marketing strategist will need to follow up with
departments within the division to confirm schedules, timelines, prior commitments,
etc.

During the initial meeting, we'll also discuss a production schedule. We build enough
time in to each schedule for the many stages of production—delivery of text to us,
editing, design, exchange of proofs, prepress work, the to-printer date, and the proposed
date of delivery—including parts of the process that happen outside of our office
(such as the printing). Please note, schedules can change due to unforeseen circumstances,
which could result in the project delivering earlier or later than originally planned.

We can work with you at any stage of producing your project, but the earlier you involve
us, the more we can help. If you know generally what you need but don't necessarily
have ideas on how to present the information, we can work with you from concept development
until the finished product is delivered.

If you know what you want to do and have a firm idea of how you want to do it, we
encourage you to work with us with an open mind. We may not know much about your particular
area (until you educate us), but we are experienced professionals skilled in writing,
editing, design, production management, and photography. We are like a creative agency; our goal is to work with you in developing
and producing your projects to better ensure your messaging and branding is on point.
If you need a print vendor who executes projects on which the design and editorial
work is already complete, we can help you find a dependable one.

Crucial pieces of information we need to learn from you to help you meet your communication
goals are as follows:

What is your deadline?

What is your budget? (consider production costs as well as postage and mailing)

Who is your audience? (primary/secondary)

What sets them apart from other groups?

What are you trying to communicate with your piece?

What do you want them to do as a result of receiving your message?

How do you plan to distribute the information? Postal regulations change frequently
and must be considered from the beginning of the design process.

From this base of information, we can work with you to develop a marketing communications
piece that will accomplish your goals elegantly and cost effectively. If the best
way to communicate your message is via a medium other than a printed piece (web, social
media, radio, etc.), we can create a plan for that, too.

Our writing staff can compose your project's text using copy points that you provide.
This copy should include the primary points you want to convey to the identified audience.
Or, if you prefer, we can edit text that you have already written or will write for
your project. In either of these situations, you will have an edited draft approval
stage where you and your stakeholders will review and approve the copy we've written
and/or edited. Reviewing the text at this stage of the production process allows you
to make any substantial corrections before the project goes to the design phase. Experience
has taught us that significant, last-minute text changes to a designed piece can add
days or sometimes weeks to the production process and thus delay delivery of the printed
project. We want to work with you to make sure you don’t encounter those issues.

Talk with your marketing strategist about the best format for submitting your text.
In most cases, an email attachment is just fine, as long as it is in a format compatible
with the programs we use for editing and design. A Microsoft Word document usually
works best. If you have specific questions about formatting procedures, please contact
our office so that we can help you save time and reduce the chance for typographical
errors.

After the initial creative meeting and the development of approved text, you will
see a preliminary layout that shows the format and design we recommend. Once you've
approved the design, the designer will prepare proofs for you and the editor and will
work with the production coordinator to bid the print job. Your marketing representative
will meet with the production coordinator and then contact you regarding costs. This
will give you the information you need to complete a purchase order requisition. If
you have any questions about the status of your job as it moves through the production
process, please let your marketing strategist know. He or she will work closely with
the production coordinator to follow each job as it moves through the process and
can relay information back to you about the status of your project.

At minimum, you should receive a first, second, and then a final proof just before
your project goes to the printer. Thorough proofing by you or someone you designate
is essential. Our editor will edit and proofread the piece, unless you choose to handle
that yourself due to an expedited timeline, but the ultimate responsibility for its
typographical and general correctness rests with you.

If there are no text changes, or very minimal text changes, you should be able to get your project within 24 hours to a month,
depending on how complex the printing is. We save each project electronically, so
we can normally make changes easily. When you need an exact reprint, please contact
your marketing strategist to discuss the details.

That’s not a problem. If you feel you have the knowledge and skills to produce a piece
that meets LSU marketing standards, we are happy for you to do so. Please keep in
mind that you still must submit any materials bearing the LSU logo to our approvals
team for an official university review at approvals@lsu.edu. Be aware that we may suggest design or copy changes to make sure you are consistent
with brand standards. For pieces like postcards, posters or small brochures, you need
to allow a minimum of 2-3 business days for review from our office. Larger pieces
may take more time.

It is university policy that the Division of Strategic Communications approves your
design and messaging before your pieces are produced and distributed. Procurement
will ask you for the proof of approval when you submit the paperwork to have your
job produced. If you do not have approval, they are obligated to send it to us for
approval. At this stage, the approvals feedback may require you to make additional
edits and resubmit which could cause a delay in the completion of your project.

No approvals will be granted for items that were produced without approval from the
Division of Strategic Communications.

With a campus as large as LSU, there is always something happening that could be photographed
or put into a video.

We try to strategically schedule in our video department so that we can accept as
many projects as possible. If you are interested in a video, need something edited
or need a review, please let your marketing strategist know. Please note, videos take
a considerable amount of time to produce from filming to final cut. Planning for video
projects from scratch should start well in advance of your in-hand deadline. Please
click here to contact your marketing strategist to discuss your project and budget.

We reserve our photographer’s time for shoots that fall into our major priority buckets
as mentioned above. If they are not available, we can make a recommendation for a
local photographer with whom we have previously worked. If photography is part of
your publication or web page, we'll work with you to find images that may fit from
our extensive photo database. If new images are needed, we can work with you to schedule
photo shoots that may be needed.

If you need photos or video footage for another purpose, just let your marketing strategist
know.

Promotional items bearing the LSU logo or LSU marks require additional approvals.
The first approval should come from the Division of Strategic Communications. The
second approval must come from Brian Hommel in the Office of Trademark & Licensing.
All promotional item approvals must be accompanied by PUR522 documentation.

The LaCarte card gives cardholders the ability to make purchases up to $10, 000 without
having to submit requisitions or a P.O. For projects over $10, 000, you will need
to create a P.O. with procurement to secure the purchase of your piece once the specifications
and bids have been settled. Without an official university approval to purchase and
a P.O. number, we can't send your project to the printer.

After your job is delivered, we will forward any invoices from the printer to you,
if it was not set up for them to bill you directly. For services, such as video or
photography, you will receive a breakdown of the expenses via an itemized departmental
receipt from the respective department or from your marketing strategist. You can
send us the account number you wish us to bill against, and we will take care of the
transfer.

This is a brief overview of what the Division of Strategic Communications can do working
collaboratively with you. We are passionate about seeing your projects come to life.
If you have a project you would like to discuss, please call your marketing strategist.
Whether you have a general question about a potential project, a comment regarding
some aspect of this guide or an observation about a university publication or piece,
call 225-578-8654 or email your marketing strategist (click here) andwe will get you started or connect you with the staff member who can best help
you.